The Most And No Less
by PurpleSugar
Summary: Serenity x Seto. Kaiba and Serenity are in St.Petersburg, FL, thanks to a mishap with a Duel Disk. Will they get back to school in time? What does Kaiba need to tell Serenity?
1. Dream

The Most And No Less  
  
PurpleSugar: ***Now in a better format! ^_^ Too bad it looks extremely short now. -_- Anyways, check out my new fic featuring some Seto x Serenity: The Darkness Is In The Eyes. I think it has a good story line! It involves a lot of Téa vs. Rebecca Hawkins! ^.^  
  
Chapter 1-Dream  
  
"W-Where am I?" Serenity asked, rubbing her eye with her right hand that was obviously moistened. Her left one was flat on the cold, moist, cement ground. It was dark, very dark. She shivered, clad only in her short skirted and tight school uniform. As if she was in a movie, she could hear dramatic and screeching music playing in the background.  
  
Suddenly, a dark and familiar silhouette approached. It was the outline of none other then Duke Devlin, the stylish and flirtatious friend of her brother's that seemingly had a slight crush on her. When his body became clear, he stood in front of her, one hand on his side, the other reaching out to her as if to help her up. She wearily took his hand, unsure of why he was here. But why was she here? And, he was the knight in shining armor at the time, so why not go along with it and take his hand?  
  
"I've been waiting for you, Serenity." He whispered, reeling her in closer and slowly kissing her on the lips, tongue wandering inside of her mouth.  
  
"D-D-D-Duke! Stop! Please! This isn't right!" She replied to the unwanted offer, attempting to shove him away. Unfortunately for poor Serenity, she wasn't strong enough. She laid in his arm like a soul-less zombie as he ate away at her confidence. He was practically raping her and she could do absolutely nothing about it. She felt so tired and used as he began to take off her shirt. "N-no..." Was all that she could pipe out before she fainted.  
  
Rubbing her eyes as her alarm clock screeched, Serenity Wheeler decided that she would rather work for Kaiba then get up. No way in hell after that dream. She was now a Junior while her brother and his friends were Seniors at Domino High School. She tossed and turned, dodging the stuffed animals flopping off of her bedpost, but she knew she had to go to school. Well, skipping a day of school wouldn't affect her grades. Or so she thought.  
  
Serenity sat on Joey's bed, expecting to have a conversation with someone in a deep sleep. "Joey? Are you awake? Of course not...Heh..." She said, tapping her brother's shoulder. "I'm making waffles..." She whispered.  
  
Joey immediately bolted up, hearing "waffles".  
  
"Eh? Good morning, sis! Ready for school?" Joey asked, rubbing  
  
his eyes.  
  
"Well, I guess. Only six weeks left. Can you believe it?" Serenity  
  
replied.  
  
"Yup! Then I'm outta that place. I cannot wait."  
  
"Wait for what? School to end? Me too."  
  
"No. The waffles."  
  
Serenity chuckled, heading towards their kitchen and getting the frozen Eggo waffles and syrup. She took ten out. Six waffles for Joey and four for herself. While waiting for the microwave to finish, Serenity picked up the mail on the table. A look of distress came upon her face.  
  
"T-this...Cannot happen!" Serenity shouted, attempting to hold back the tears.  
  
"What is it?" Joey asked, concerned for whatever it was Serenity was so upset about. Serenity simply just handed him the paper and plopped down on a chair, thinking about how horrible her grades were.  
  
"Serenity! It's all right...You can get your grades up. You're a Wheeler, remember? It is dissapointin to see ya get worse grades then me, heh heh, but, it's all right!" Joey said, sitting next to his sister.  
  
"No it's not, Joey! I need good grades. Argh! Look at that! 5 D- 's!" Serenity yelled, throwing the paper across the room. The microwave beeped, and Joey went to go get the waffles.  
  
"Why doncha getta tutor?" Joey asked in-between bites of waffle.  
  
"But who? I don't know anyone who has taken all my classes and passed..." She replied, moving the waffles around with her fork.  
  
"Tell the teachers. They'll know. They're all smart like that." Joey suggested, about to finish his waffle.  
  
"But who is the uber-genius that would tutor me..." Serenity sighed, cutting one of her waffles into four pieces.  
  
"Yeah. The only uber-genius in school I know is Kaiba. Ha! He doesn't have da heart to tutor, Seren. He is too stuck-up to help anyone. I wouldn't want ya to be tutored by him either." Joey explained, putting his dish in the sink.  
  
"I guess..." Serenity mumbled, resting her chin in her palm. It seemed everything that could go wrong with Serenity was happening: Her bills were high. Her grades were low. Now that working for Duke helped, that only added to the stress on her hands since she had her "little dream".  
  
~*~  
  
-Math Class-  
  
"Miss. Wheeler, will you come see me please?" The teacher asked, looking her directly in the eye.  
  
"Yes?" She asked, knowing exactly what it was about.  
  
"I would like to see your grades be brought up. Do you understand? me?" She stated calmly. Serenity lowered her head.  
  
"Yes. I will." She replied, still looking at the ground.  
  
"Good. You may go." He replied. Serenity scurried back to her seat.  
  
"What am I going to do? I still have to clean our house. Go to work. AND study? This is too much." Serenity thought to herself, but was interrupted when the lunch bell wrung. "I should've asked for a tutor right then and there ...Oh well. Maybe next time." She continued, books held tightly around her arms as if for protection. The truth was, Serenity was as angry as hell when it came to questioning her authority. I guess that's what made her a Wheeler. And in this case, it would be letting someone else know that she was stupid if she got a tutor. And to make matters worse, Joey would go after the tutor, having the fact be unclear whether Joey would get beat up harshly or beat up someone else too harshly.  
  
~*~  
  
After School  
  
Waiting at the curb for Duke's shiny convertible as always to pick her up, Serenity fidgeted with her purse, wishing she did not have to change at the DDM Black Crown store. How did she know there wasn't any cameras watching her in the bathrooms? That dream she had last night been getting to her. "Duke is a nice, nice, guy and my friend. He would never do something like that." She repeated quietly to reassure herself.  
  
"Hey, Serenity!" Duke shouted as he honked the horn on his convertible. Serenity quickly banished her horrible thoughts of Duke be a sadist and a rapist and stepped into the car, closing the door and giving a slight smile as he told her how nice she looked and how happy he was that he would get to spend more time with her. "It can't be too bad," She thought to herself, "at least the job pays well. And he is a good friend of my brother and mine."  
  
Duke's store was wonderful. Well decorated and filled with lively gamers that were similar to her friends, Serenity felt almost as if she was home. Duke pointed to a door labeled "Storage 05".  
  
"In there is boxes of uniforms. You just need the skirt and the top, come to my office when you're done, need anything else?" He asked politely, waiting to see her in the sexy outfit.  
  
"That's all right. Oh, and thanks again for hiring me. Joey and I really need some money right now." She asked, looking directly in his jade eyes.  
  
"It's my pleasure to have such a wonderful and beautiful employee." He replied with a wink, and then headed upstairs. Serenity rolled her eyes at the compliment, and got the pieces of the uniform that she needed. After changing, she took the elevator up to the highest level, which happened to contain Duke's office.  
  
Serenity knocked on the door, unaware of what was ahead.  
  
"Come in." Duke replied to the knock, knowing it was Serenity. He was sitting at his large desk, cluttered with papers, manila folders, and a laptop with dice on the back and the letters DDM. Serenity stealthily went to a 2- person leather couch, folder her hands in her lap, and waited for him to finish. He looked up, closed his laptop, and walked over to her, handing her a booklet on how to work the cash register, how to assist customers, and other clerk stuff.  
  
"Since you are working 5 hours after school and 7 hours on Saturdays, at $7.50 an hour, you should make around, hmm, $240.00 a week." Duke stated, sitting down next to Serenity and looked into her eyes with want, not really interested in what he was paying her. Serenity nodded, and put her hand on top of Duke's.  
  
"That sounds great Duke! Thank you!" She said, with a smile, "But I really should be getting to work now." She lifted off her hand, hugged him, and then dashed outside to the elevator.  
  
Duke stood with a dazed look on his face. He touched his hand as if to absorb the essence of Serenity. "You're welcome..." He whispered.  
  
~*~  
  
PurpleSugar: Well. I hoped everyone liked it. Feel free to give any opinions on improvement, suggestions, or whatever you want. Chapter 2 brings Kaiba in.  
  
^_^ 


	2. Paying Debts

The Most And No Less  
  
Chapter 2-Paying Debts  
  
As Serenity leaned against the wall of the elevator, unhappy of the way Duke looked at her when she stepped into his office dressed in the uniform. "He had no right to look at me that way." She thought to herself, flipping through the booklet on being a clerk as if she cared about what it said. "Now, I need to go to the red and black cash register in the South Wing. That shouldn't be too hard to find." She thought, having already been in there once or twice.  
  
She walked slowly to the South Wing, looking for the red and black cash register. "Finally..." She whispered to herself, relieved that she finally found it. She knew that she was eventually, but it was hard to see with all the colors and all the people. It was amazing how Duke's store brought in so many people, unlike Yugi's Grandpa's shop that brought around five people a day. Not only that, but the day went great! There were no rude customers. The work was not hard. And it paid well. What more could you want in a job?  
  
"Guess what, Joey?" Serenity shouted as she came home from work, hugging her brother floppily.  
  
"What is it, sis? Have a good day?" He asked, already knowing the answer.  
  
"I had a GREAT day! The job pays well; I mean $240.00 with everything taken out. And the people there are all just like our friends, friendly and having a love for games. It also doesn't hurt that Duke is such a great person. I could not have asked for a greater boss or a friend!" Serenity blabbed, exited about telling Joey how great something was in her life.  
  
"That's great, sis. Just watch out for that Duke. He's more then he seems. I wouldn't want him to hurtcha or anything." Joey advised, worriedly.  
  
"Aw, Joey. Duke isn't bad." Serenity assumed. "Or is he." She mumbled to herself, clips of her dream running through her head.  
  
~*~A Week Later At BC Store~*~  
  
Serenity wandered up the steps, since the elevator was broken. She wore her coat and brought her purse since it was time to leave. In her hand was her paycheck, but only a mere $140.00, not her expected $240.00. This was the reason she was going to see Duke. The secretaries said that they had no idea why one-hundred dollars was taken off her pay check, and to see Duke Devlin. She couldn't see why that money would be subtracted. She had been a great clerk, always treating the customers with the kindness and respect as she treated everyone with. So, she assumed it had to be a mistake.  
  
"Uh, Duke? It's Serenity." She paused, after knocking on his door.  
  
"Come in." He replied calmly. Serenity stepped in. "Yes?" He asked calmly, with no smile or change of expression.  
  
"Um, it's about my paycheck." She explained, handing the certificate to him. She felt awkward about asking about it. Unsure if it was rude or not. He scanned the piece of paper.  
  
"Yes?" He replied, acting as if nothing was wrong with it.  
  
"Um, well, I, err, noticed that my paycheck is a little bit lower then it should be. Missing about one hundred dollars, I believe." Serenity paused, sweating. She didn't want to sound like a money-loving creep, but she needed to the money. And it was hard not to get startled by having the $100.00 subtracted.  
  
"I see. Well, I'll have to look it over again when I get the time to, Serenity. Sorry for the inconvenience." Duke apologized not-so- apologetically. Before, in his office, Duke talked to Serenity like a friend, not an employee. And him talking to her as if she was anyone else struck Serenity's curiosity.  
  
"Does he still, have that, 'thing' for me? Not that I care, but he's been treating me differently. Maybe he thinks I feel the same way about Tristan as Tristan feels for me. Now, that's a scary thought." Serenity thought to herself, then continued, "maybe that's what he thinks. That I have a 'thing' for Tristan. That has to be it. That has to be the reason for us not talking in the car on the way here. And the reason for him not talking to me as a friend."  
  
"Serenity, do you need anything else? Because you could go back to the register." Duke hinted in an "I want you to leave but not sound rude" way.  
  
"Oh, just so you know, nothing is going on between me and Tristan. He is just a friend. Like a brother, even. But nothing more." She stated, hoping that was the thing that was bothering him.  
  
"Oh, that's good to know." Duke replied, rubbing the back of his head. Serenity smiled and was about to leave. "Oh, and Serenity."  
  
"Yes?" Serenity replied, anxious to hear what he would say.  
  
"I'm sorry but I cannot drive you home from work today. I have tons of work to do and a trip to America to plan. A long with that I won't be able to drive you here and home for 3 weeks." He stated. Serenity just smiled and quickly exited, gladly going home.  
  
~*~Serenity And Joey's House~*~  
  
Serenity arrived home exhausted. She sat down on the couch as Joey began questioning her.  
  
"Why are ya late?"  
  
"Did that good-for-nothin Devlin do somethin' to ya?"  
  
"Did ya get the whole pay-thing straightened out?"  
  
"Serenity, are you even listenin to me?"  
  
"SERENITY!" Joey shouted. Serenity finally looked up. "Sis, Ya not actin like yaself. What's wrong?" He asked, sitting next to her.  
  
"Duke couldn't drive me home because he is busy. He was also too busy to give me a final answer on my paycheck. And no, he would never do anything to me, Joey. He is my friend."  
  
"Well, ya know that if he EVER does anything to ya, sis, ya just let me know!" Joey ordered with a wave, heading with the newspaper to where he called the, "John.".  
  
"Oh, Joey." Serenity sighed, rolling her eyes.  
  
~*~ After Work, The Next Day~*~  
  
"Serenity Wheeler, please see Mr. Devlin in his office. That will be all." The speaker screeched. All of the other employees gasped, but she assumed it was about her paycheck, so she proudly went up the steps to his office. She looked out the window. Rain was pouring, puddles were created by the side of the sidewalks, and business men with umbrellas had a miserable look on their faces.  
  
"Uh, Mr. Devlin, you wanted to see me?" Serenity knocked, not liking talking so informally with him.  
  
"Come in Serenity. And it's just Duke. You know that." He said, trailing off. He put away some papers, feeling a bit nervous. "How am I going to ask her out. I mean I did so good not jumping for joy when she said she didn't like Tristan. But. What if she turns me down. She is so beautiful. Am I good enough for her? Such a lovely personality fitting such nice curves. I hope she doesn't notice me stare." Duke mumbled to himself until Serenity walked in. She looked gorgeous. Hair pulled back into a messy bun, make-up applied perfectly, half-smiling, in the short-skirted and tight topped uniform. "How can I resist.?" Duke questioned himself after staring at Serenity for quite awhile.  
  
"Oh, uh, did you need me for something?" Serenity asked innocently, folding her hands together and pushing her heals inward.  
  
"It's about your paycheck." He stated with a smirk, walking towards her.  
  
"Y-Yes?" She stuttered, not liking the gleam in his eye and the smirk on his lips.  
  
"You were right. $100.00 was missing. But it was taken out because you still owe me some.debts." He replied, smirking evilly, pulling a strand of her hair that escaped from her bun behind her ear. Slides from her dream were being played in her mind, and she grew nervous. She gave a weak smile and then took a step back.  
  
"What do you mean.debts?" Serenity asked, brushing his hand away and beginning to feel more uncomfortable.  
  
"Oh, don't worry. You can pay them back, right now." He replied, picking her up from her arms and dropping her on the 2-person couch, kissing her malevolently on the lips.  
  
"Duke! What do you think your doing!" Serenity shouted, attempting to shove him off.  
  
"What we should've been doing a long time ago." He whispered into her ear. She shivered feeling his breath in her ear and then she rammed her knee into his gut, smacked him with her high heal shoe, and ran out. Luckily, she was out of work when he called her in so she could go home immediately.  
  
~*~ The Walk Home ~*~  
  
"This is.Unbelievable! I cannot believe he would take advantage of me like that!" Serenity mumbled, heals splashing against the puddles on the sidewalk. She speed walked through the crowd, never saying, "Excuse me." whenever she would bump into a business man also taking the route. "Joey was right. I never should've-OUCH!" Serenity screamed, falling on the ground and ripping her skirt. It appeared that the heal on her shoe broke on a crack in the sidewalk. "This has to be the worse day of my life." Serenity thought, eyes full of tears about to spout.  
  
To go home, Serenity always went through a park. It was beautiful and it was a shorter way to get to her and her brother's apartment. Glad that the rain finally stopped and she and the many muddy puddles were the only ones in the park, she took a seat on a damp bench. "This is unfair!" She pouted throwing her shoe on the ground. And with her luck for the day, a huge black limo with three different doors on each side was taking the scenic route for the day, tires running over the puddle, splashing the muddy water all over poor Serenity. Soaked and pissed, Serenity picked up her shoe and threw it at the limo, breaking the back window into a million pieces. "Oh, shit!" She mumbled, attempting to run the opposite way with only one high heal shoe on.  
  
Serenity stopped to take a breather until she heard the limo screech, turn around, and pull up right beside her. At this point, her heart was beating faster then a hummingbird's. She had a hectic day and this was all she needed: To get yelled at by some millionaire and have to pay for the limo's window when she was quitting because her former friend and boss is a horny moron. The window rolled down, and all that was seen was a shadow of a face.  
  
"Get in the car." The shadow ordered in a deep and irritated voice. Knowing she should never get in a car with a stranger, Serenity immediately protested but was pulled in after she started explaining how her day went. "There is no excuse for throwing your shoe at my window!" The voice yelled, staring at the wet and pissed stranger he ordered in his car.  
  
"Kaiba?" She asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion. Great, she just got "attacked" by Duke, broke her shoe, got splashed by Kaiba, and then when she breaks his window he practically  
  
"Well, if it isn't the mutt's sister. I would like to see the look on the chihuahua's face when he finds his drenched sister with me." He stated with an evil smirk.  
  
"Please, Kaiba, I'm really not in the mood to deal with you and my brother. Just take me home." Serenity replied, holding her cheek against the window as rain streamed once again. She began feeling rain drops that came through from the shattered back window.  
  
"And what makes you think I should take you home, Wheeler? What about my limo window? Thanks to you and your fit of aggravation, I could be bleeding with ice shards stuck in me and my laptop. What makes you think I will let you just get away with this?" Kaiba growled evilly, somewhat slinking towards her.  
  
"But you aren't. And I don't have the money right now to pay you for your stupid window!" Serenity shouted, pulling the handle on the door, "And I don't plan on paying it, either." She then jumped out and headed for home while Kaiba grinned evilly and calmly said,  
  
"Oh, you will pay it. You won't like it, but you will pay it."  
  
PurpleSugar: Oh, I hope that wasn't cheesy and predictable. I had 3 snow days in a row so I finally finished it. Thanks for the reviews. I tried to change the formatting and I hope it's better now. ^_^ 


	3. Serenity, the Guinea Pig

The Most And No Less  
  
~*~Home~*~  
  
Serenity quickly threw her coat and purse on the ground and flopped on the couch, tears spilling from her red eyes, head leaning on the armrest. "How am I going to pay for Kaiba's window without a job?" She asked herself in her head, rubbing her eyes, "And what if Joey finds out."  
  
"What's the matta, sis?" Joey asked, rubbing her shoulder. "Did dat good- for-nothin Devlin turn ya down!? I told ya he was no good!" Joey yelled, waving his fist in the air like an old person.  
  
"No, no. I turned him down. And I-I quit. B-Because the uh, c-customers were, uh, uh, rude." Serenity lied, in between sniffles, "Yeah. T-the customers. They w-were horrible."  
  
"Oh." Joey paused, looking at the ground, "So, why are ya cryin sis?"  
  
"I, uh, kinda bumped into Kaiba. On the way home. That's why I'm soaked." She paused, hoping Joey wouldn't immediately run over to Kaiba's and challenge him to a fight without even knowing exactly what he even did to his sister.  
  
"WHAT? What did he do to ya sis!? Tell me!" Joey yelled, face growing red with anger.  
  
"Oh, uh, I threw my shoe at his limo window when it splashed me, and, I, uh, shattered it into a million pieces." Serenity stated, sitting up but still looking down, feeling rather awkward.  
  
"Way ta go, sis! I didn't think ya had it in ya!" Joey cheered, patting his sister on the back. Serenity rolled her eyes and sighed.  
  
"But it's $200.00 And now that I'm unemployed how are we going to pay it?" Serenity sniffed, "not to mention you hate having contact with him."  
  
"Ah, we'll do it somehow. Jus focus on your grades. I'll take care of da money." Joey sighed, his sister hugging him and thanking him.  
  
~*~At School~*~  
  
"Serenity Wheeler! Come up here this instant!" The teacher, Miss. Shunai yelled, slamming her hands on her desk, angrily.  
  
"Y-yes?" Serenity squeaked, afraid of what was yet to come.  
  
"Didn't the other teachers and I tell you to get some help! You've improved a little, but not by much. That's it; we're finding you a tutor!" Miss. Shunai stated as she pulled out a box. She opened it, and inside was files, each with a course name on them. She took Serenity's schedule and pulled out the files that contained the names of people who passed with flying colors in all of her courses. One name kept showing up, and unfortunately for her it was the guy she owed already: Seto Kaiba. And even more unfortunate for Serenity, Kaiba happened to be in her homeroom. So, before Serenity could protest.  
  
"Mr. Kaiba, please see me." Miss. Shunai yelled, curling her index finger towards herself. Kaiba grunted, then slammed down the book he was reading, and approached what Serenity called, "the bench". Kaiba just noticed that the girl that owed him plenty happened to also be at the desk. He smirked.  
  
"Is it not the little criminal?" Kaiba questioned, smirking at Serenity. She blushed, ashamed of breaking the window.  
  
"Mr. Kaiba, it appears that you have taken most of the classes Miss. Wheeler is taking and passed with flying colors. I know you have denied the offers in the past, but would you care to play as Serenity's tutor for awhile?" Miss. Shunai asked. It was a formal routine. He was often chosen as the number one tutor since he was so intelligent. But, he always declined rudely, stating a bad quality about the student and returned to his seat. But surprisingly.  
  
"Fine. I will be Wheeler's tutor." He stated with a smirk, Miss. Shunai unsure if he was being sarcastic. He smirked, cupping Serenity's chin. "Besides, she owes me much already. What's one more thing to the pile?"  
  
Serenity gulped as Miss. Shunai lifted her brow at the apparent flirtation. "But it IS going to be strictly learning, no romance!"  
  
Serenity sighed and nodded, extremely embarrassed and worried what he would expect from her to pay him back for the window and the tutoring.  
  
The bell rang, and Serenity tried to hurry out as fast as she could to avoid Kaiba and the tutoring section, but was stopped when someone grabbed her shoulder.  
  
"Meet me at the curb, Wheeler. And remember, you owe me." He stated coldly, then brushed ahead of her to go to his next class.  
  
~*~At The Curb~*~  
  
Serenity stood at the curb of the school, awaiting a shiny black limo to pick her up. Why did she have to worry about Joey so much? Why couldn't she have studied harder? Would Kaiba be in the car? So many questions ran through her mind. But the one question she was curious about most was, "Why did Kaiba accept to tutor me? He has never accepted that before for anyone else..." Did he hate her brother THAT much that he was willing to possess his sister just so he could take away one more thing from Joey?  
  
"You would think he wouldn't let me in his home for being related to Joey...." She pondered out loud, unaware of the limo that just pulled up to the curb. It honked and she was instantly pulled out of her questions and focused on not being interested in the Kaiba household, even though she was dying to see his home and how he lives.  
  
The doors slid open and she sat down in the far back seat. She hated the feeling of the hard, black leather. She didn't even realize the shadow in the far corner was Seto Kaiba himself until she heard the sound of furious typing and assumed it was him. She fiddled with her purse, acting as if she wasn't interested in what he was doing. She decided to put on some Chap Stick, but it was so dark in the limo she couldn't find it. After minutes of searching, she threw the purse, and then pouted. "Why me...Why me..." She mumbled until she got hit in the eye with her own purse.  
  
"Hey!" She shrieked, angered that Kaiba threw the purse at her.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you and your damn obsession with throwing your stupid girlish toys!" Kaiba replied coldly but confidently like always. Serenity was steamed.  
  
She rubbed her right eye, "You hit me in the eye!"  
  
"Good. I would like to see the mutt get out of paying for another eye operation. To think he would steal it from his own friend." He smirked evilly.  
  
"You don't have any idea what you are talking about, Seto Kaiba! You have no right to say that! He did not steal that money. Yugi gave him that! And that money saved my life for your information! How dare you-"  
  
"Your not my mother, Wheeler. You do not have the right to talk to me that way."  
  
"Mothers!? You want to talk about mothers!? YOUR OWN mother was obviously horrible at raising children! I mean, look at you!" Serenity replied cruelly.  
  
"Maybe if I actually HAD one..." He mumbled, looking down.  
  
"What do you mean...?" Serenity paused, knowing she shouldn't have said that. That's why she tried to not be mean to anyone. But, she never heard Kaiba have a slight loss of confidence. Did hell just freeze over?  
  
"My mother died when Mokuba and I were very young. Happy?" He replied softly.  
  
"Oh...I am so sorry!" She apologized sitting next to him. But, Seto quickly brushed away the tidbit of sadness.  
  
"Who gave you permission to sit next to me?"  
  
"What? I don't have cooties."  
  
"Wheelers' will never have the right to even breath by Kaiba's."  
  
"But you said you hated your father and you overthrew his company! Kaiba's are obviously not that great..."  
  
"That is my step-father, Wheeler, who was the asshole. Not my real father." He replied, the sadness once again returning. "No. I promised myself I would forget about them and just focus on what is best for Mokuba and me." He thought, attempting to hide his emotions.  
  
"So both of your real parents..."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Oh. I am really sorry. You're right; I shouldn't have said those things."  
  
"Has Hell frozen over?" Seto asked, Serenity giving him a confused look.  
  
"What!?" She asked.  
  
"You must be more intelligent then your puppy brother, Wheeler."  
  
"Erm, thank you..?" She replied, wondering why he would say that and whether it was a compliment or another strike against her brother.  
  
The rest of the ride to the Kaiba mansion was long and Kaiba and Serenity didn't talk at all.  
  
~*~The Kaiba Mansion~*~  
  
"Whoa..." Was all Serenity spoke when she stepped into the Kaiba mansion, Seto 10 meters in front of her as if he was afraid of someone seeing him with a Wheeler, even if on his own private property.  
  
When they stepped in, Kaiba immediately ran off, leaving Serenity to wonder if he would ever come back. Luckily, she saw Mokuba.  
  
"Oh, hey Serenity!" Mokuba called out, running towards her. Serenity looked around.  
  
"Say, how many rooms are in this place?" She asked, not knowing it was so large.  
  
"Ah, just about 204. Nothing special." He stated, sighing as if it was no big deal. Serenity rolled her eyes.  
  
"So, where's Kaiba?" She asked.  
  
"Living Room. I got to go. See ya around, Serenity." Mokuba yelled, running off. She nodded, then headed towards the living room.  
  
~*~Living Room~*~  
  
"Kaiba, why did you agree to tutor me!?" She yelled/asked furiously.  
  
"To ensure that you would pay me back for the window. And you can start, now."  
  
"Fine. But it's just adding to the 'owe-you' list! Wait, what do you mean?"  
  
"By being a guinea pig. See, I just created a new Duel Disk that when you draw a Field Magic Card, enter it in the newly built Field Magic Card slot, and then press the button. It will read it and take you and your opponent to a place in the world that shares the environment. For example, if you and your brother were dueling and you drew the water field magic card, "Umiiruka", inserted it, and then pressed the button both you and your brother would be transported to two extremely small islands parallel to each other in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It's quite incredible. And lucky for you, you will be the first to try it out." He explained smirking. Serenity sighed, knowing she had to go a long with it.  
  
~*~At Kaiba Corp~*~  
  
Kaiba, Mokuba, and Serenity went into the "Testing Room". She was given a smaller, but more futuristic-looking Duel Disk. She was then given a deck made completely of Field Magic Cards. She inserted the deck and her life points lit up. She was dueling a computer, so she would lose anyway. She drew a card.  
  
"What did you draw?" Mokuba asked anxiously. Kaiba tilted his head, not remembering exactly where he assigned Yami to take the duelest.  
  
"Yami; I think it decreases the attack of fairies and increases fiends or dark monsters." Serenity stated, wondering if to play a magic card meaning "dark" was safe.  
  
"What are you waiting for, Wheeler!? Play the card already!" Kaiba yelled. Serenity gulped, inserted the card, and then slowly hit the green button.  
  
. . . . . And then she disappeared.  
  
"Yes! It worked!" Kaiba cheered, typing furiously into his computer. On the screen listed all the field magic cards alphabetically on the left, and on the right it showed where on Earth it took them. Towards the end of the list was Yami, and on the right, was. . . Nothing. Kaiba gasped as the door broke open, Yugi and Joey entering.  
  
"KAIBA! Miss. Shunai told me and Yug that ya have ma sista! Now where is she!?" Joey yelled, Yugi nodded shyly behind Joey.  
  
"That's what I would like to know." Kaiba whispered, still searching around to find where Serenity went.  
  
"What do ya mean!? WHERE IS SHE KAIBA!?" He yelled once again, face growing redder then blood.  
  
"I-I. . . Don't know." Kaiba paused, his face blood-drained. I'm going to find out, right now." Kaiba stating, putting the other copy of the duel disk on his arm and grabbing a "Yami" card from his deck. He pressed the green button and vanished before Mokuba and Joey could protest.  
  
"Uh, you guys. Doesn't the card "Yami" mean dark, as in Shadow Realm?" Yugi stated, Mokuba and Joey looking at him confused, but knowing he was in the right direction. 


	4. Gimme That Watch!

The Most And No Less  
  
PurpleSugar: Uh oh. 1/3 of this chapter is a "dueling scene". Even though Kaiba tells Serenity what to do. But it's the only way to get out of that place! My school wasn't open today since the heater broke so I decided to finish this chapter and write the outline for the next. I usually write the outlines during study hall, but seeing that I don't have one... =P Chapter 4  
  
~*~Kaiba Corp Testing Room, Domino City, Japan~*~  
  
"DAMN THAT KAIBA! Goin afta my sista like that. I thought he hated us Wheelers..." Joey yelled, aggravated at the thought of Kaiba saving Serenity; even though he was the reason she got lost in the first place.  
  
~*~In The Virtual Shadow Realm~*~  
  
"W-where am I?" Serenity mumbled to herself, her pixels finally being put together. She suddenly saw bits of colors appearing in front of her, as if a mosaic was being completed. When the other pixels were completed, Kaiba was revealed. "Kaiba?"  
  
"Listen, I'm pretty sure we are in the Shadow Realm. The virtual Shadow Realm." Kaiba stated, staring at the extremely worried expression on Serenity's face.  
  
"Not again... How do we get outta here now?" Serenity whined, afraid that Kaiba would leave her alone here.  
  
"I could try putting in another field magic card." Kaiba replied, rubbing the back of his head.  
  
"Well, don't use Yami." Serenity noted, Kaiba gave her an annoyed look.  
  
"I'm not stupid, Wheeler." He stated, glaring evilly. Serenity just sweat- dropped, playing with the Duel Disk on her arm that happened to be turned off. Kaiba flipped a switch and cards floated in front of their faces. Kaiba picked all the field magic cards he could see a long with his favorite cards. Serenity picked girl cards and pretty field magic cards, much to Kaiba's displeasure.  
  
"Turn the Duel Disk on." Kaiba ordered, turning his own on. Serenity simply nodded, wanting to go home with her brother more then anything. She could imagine the surprise on Ms.Shunai's face when she had to explain why she didn't exactly study with Kaiba. Kaiba arranged the way he would draw his cards then drew some cards, summoning Lord of Dragons to the field and playing Flute of Summoning Dragons to bring out two Blue Eyes White Dragons. He then placed the magic card Exchange.  
  
"Wheeler!" He commanded, "take my Mind Control card, now." Serenity nodded as she took his Mind Control while he took her Mystical Elf, noticing she had three other field magic cards in her hand: Umiiruka, Chorus of Sanctuary, and Gaia Power. Serenity thought immediately to take Kaiba's Mountain field magic card, but she didn't want to not agree with Kaiba's orders, knowing how ruthless he is.  
  
"Do I play Mind Control, now?" Serenity asked, Kaiba nodded.  
  
"Unless you want Noa to find us. I don't know if he's here or not, but if he is, he will find us soon and want to take one of our bodies. And I'm not teaching him." Kaiba stated, aggravated at the thought of seeing Noa personality in Serenity's body. Serenity just smiled, happy to know he favored teaching her over Noa, but it's not like they were friends or anything. It just happened to be an interesting predicament. "Take control of one of my Blue Eyes and attack my Lord of Dragons! We each only need one monster on the field." Kaiba commanded, Serenity nodded, taking control of one of his Blue Eyes and destroying his Lord of Dragons. Kaiba then thought to himself, "To ever think I would need and want a Wheeler to take control of one of my Blue Eyes and wanting her to attack my Lord of Dragons. At least it's not the mutt. Just the mutt's sister."  
  
"I end my turn." Serenity stated, curious about what Kaiba was going to do next. Kaiba smirked and inserted his Mountain into the field magic card slot, pressed the green button, and then they both went through the process to be taken to their destination.  
  
When they finally reached the mountain, they were each standing on top of their Blue Eyes. It was a rocky and grey mountain, covered with blue smoke. It was very cold, which Serenity didn't like one bit. Kaiba then figured out they didn't leave the virtual world at all, they were simply just in a Mountain scenario.  
  
They tried every field magic card they had. Molten Destruction. Sogen. Umi. Chorus of Sanctuary. Umiiruka. Etc. Until, Serenity had one left: Gaia Power. Kaiba just simply gave up, sitting down on his Blue Eyes.  
  
"It's useless, Wheeler. We're stuck here." Kaiba sighed, aggravated that he might be stuck with a Wheeler for all of an eternity.  
  
"Oh no! Poor Joey! He's probably so worried!" Serenity whined, her eyes becoming teary and red. Drops of water fell unto the scaly skin of the dragon and somehow even the dragon seemed sorry for her. Maybe the dragon felt sorry for her, but definitely not Seto Kaiba.  
  
"Oh, please. Shut up about your brother, Wheeler. I'm the one who should be upset. I'm stuck here with the Puppy's sister." Kaiba yelled, coldly. Serenity then gave him the "look of evil" that somehow shocked Kaiba. "Besides, I'm sure he's fine."  
  
"I hope. But Kaiba! Joey's going to kill you when we get out of here!"  
  
"Do you honestly think the mutt can lay a paw on me?"  
  
"Please stop referring to him as an animal! He is human, just like you!"  
  
"He will never have the potential to be compared to me, Wheeler, so don't you dare think that for a millisecond!" Kaiba barked, this is when Serenity lost her anger but gained more fear.  
  
"Y-your out of control, Kaiba. Absolutely unbelievable how someone could be so cold!" Serenity shouted.  
  
"Us arguing is not going to get us anywhere. We need to find a way to get out of here." Kaiba stated, not knowing why he gave up arguing with her. Serenity pictured Joey cheering her on to give her the strength to try one more field magic card: Gaia Power.  
  
"That's it!" Serenity shouted, "All of the cards we played did not effect EARTH monsters! We need to play one that will bring us back to Earth." She then played it before Kaiba could protest and then they disappeared.  
  
~*~St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.A.~*~  
  
Serenity and Kaiba appeared by a large forest with an Oak Tree in the center. Serenity tried to put her hand through the trunk as if it was virtual, but lucky them, it was real. They had gotten out of the Shadow Realm.  
  
((Crowd: Yay! ^_^))  
  
Kaiba pressed a button on his watch, "Mokuba? Are you there? Mokuba?"  
  
~*~Kaiba Corp Testing Room, Domino City, Japan~*~  
  
Worriedly, Mokuba, Yugi, and Joey sat in the Testing Room. Joey explaining how he was going to either sue or kill Kaiba. Yugi reminding him he had the best lawyers in Japan. Mokuba reminding him Kaiba is very strong. Suddenly, out of Mokuba's watch came Kaiba's voice, "Mokuba? Are you there? Mokuba?"  
  
"Seto! Your back! Where are you?" Mokuba asked, on the verge of crying out of the happiness of knowing his only relative is alive.  
  
"I don't know. Can you use the tracking system, Mokuba?"  
  
"Sure!" Mokuba replied into the speaker, typing furiously into the computer's tracking device on Kaiba's watch.  
  
"What!? Your in the United States, big bro!" Mokuba shouted. Angered that he had no news on Serenity, Joey ripped the watch off Mokuba's hand and shouted into it.  
  
"Kaiba! Where's my sista! Is she all right? Serenity!" Joey shouted as Mokuba tried to yank it off of him.  
  
"Yes, mutt, your sibling is all right."  
  
~*~St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.A.~*~  
  
"Kaiba, is that my brother!?" Serenity asked, peering at the watch Kaiba was speaking into. She immediately grabbed it and ran in the opposite direction, Kaiba chasing after her to give it back and yelling threats.  
  
"Big brother!" Serenity yelled to Joey inbetween pants. Kaiba then caught up with her from the back. Since was tall, he could grab it from her hands while leaning his head over her head and having his arms over her shoulders. Once he snatched it, Serenity pouted, yanking on Kaiba's arm with determination to talk to her brother.  
  
"Mutt, give my brother the watch back and tell your sister to get the hell off of me!" Kaiba shouted, holding the watch with his right hand and shoving Serenity away with his left.  
  
~*~Kaiba Corp Testing Room, Domino City, Japan~*~  
  
Mokuba finally snatched the watch while Yugi held Joey back.  
  
"Do you want me to send your helicopter, bro?" Mokuba asked, keeping an eye on Joey to avoid him grabbing the watch again.  
  
"Sure. The batteries are running low, so we are going into town to get new ones. Lucky that we have a Kaiba Corp Building in Florida." Kaiba messaged before "hanging up". In the background, you could hear Serenity say, "Cool! Let's go to Disneyworld! I can get Joey one of those flashy-lights that he always wanted!" And then Kaiba respond, "NO WAY IN HELL AM I STEPPING IN THAT PLACE!"  
  
~*~  
  
Yay! Next chapter is about Fun in Florida! I think this chapter was more humor then anything else. ^_~ Thanks for the reviews! 


	5. Fun in Florida!

The Most And No Less  
  
PurpleSugar: Thank you for the great reviews! I cherish them! Oh, I'm not sure if there are "Piggly Wiggly"'s in Florida. I didn't go to a grocery store while I was there on vacation. I don't even have Piggly Wiggly's here in Ohio. (We have stupid Tops and Giant Eagle's) But, I did see one in North Carolina and I liked the little pig on the sign so I decided to go with it. ^_^ Also, I have the story set to Drama since someone will, uh, "kick the bucket" if you know what I mean. ;_; Nuuu, don't worry! It's not our beloved CEO! Whoa, enough about grocery stores and Kaiba and on with the chapter!  
  
Chapter 5-  
  
~*~St.Petersburg, FL~*~  
  
Kaiba and Serenity walked out of the muddy and smelly forest. The end of Kaiba's white trench coat, his shiny black shoes, and the bottom of his black pants were splashed with dried mud. Serenity's ankles, white socks, and blue shoes were covered in mud, also. Hating his dirty appearance, Kaiba decided to blame it on Serenity.  
  
Eventually, they made it to the Piggly Wiggly in hope to get a new watch battery. Serenity was born in America, obviously not Asian since she had bright auburn hair. So, she knew a lot of English. Seto was Japanese but visited America frequently so he knew English as well.  
  
~*~"Piggly Wiggly Grocery Store", St.Petersburg, FL~*~  
  
"When is the helicopter going to come?" Serenity asked, wanting to go home more then ever.  
  
"Mokuba estimates about nine hours. So, we have quite some time to do whatever. After we get the battery, the limo driver will take us to the Kaiba Corp building of Florida." Kaiba replied, having everything planned out. It was amazing how he spoke so calmly and clearly and was never confused.  
  
Serenity and Kaiba bought the watch battery a long with a package of 6 bottles of Coke (you would be thirsty, too. ^_^), some soap, some shampoo and conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste, a comb and a brush, and pretty much everything Serenity would need to freshen up. Of course Kaiba couldn't let Serenity use any of his toiletries, he couldn't risk having an auburn strand in his hair brush.  
  
Waiting for the limo to arrive, Kaiba sat on the left side of a wooden bench, his chin in his hand, which was resting on the arm rest. He hated waiting for the limo driver at a dumpy, American, grocery store. "He should be here, right now!" Kaiba yelled in his head, not wanting to scare Serenity who was solemnly watching a mother help her son into a helicopter that moved up and down if you inserted two quarters. Serenity was on the opposite side and had the plastic bag on her lap, smiling as she heard the two-year-old laugh as the helicopter barely moved four feet in the air. She was pulled away from the little boy when Kaiba grabbed her arm and dragged her into the limo.  
  
~*~Kaiba Corp, Domino City, Japan~*~  
  
"Listen, Mokuba. I'm gettin tired of waitin for my sista. When is that damn helicopta gonna come back with ma sis?" Joey complained, wanting to leave the horrid territory of his enemy.  
  
"I already said nine hours..." Mokuba replied, digging through a drawer in the desk he was sitting at with his legs resting on the table top. He was beginning to see why his brother disliked Joey: He was stubborn and wanted to know the recent update every 5 minutes. He knew Joey would be the one in a car trip that would consistently be saying, "Are we there yet!?"  
  
"Yeah, I think Grandpa might be worried if we stay any longer, Joey." Yugi stated, knowing that Joey agreed to sleepover that night, "Do you have a phone I could use?"  
  
Mokuba grunted, swung his legs off the table, and dug more furiously in the huge drawer while explaining that's what he is looking for. Joey and Yugi watched as broken duel disks, duel monster cards, digital cameras, random computer keys, papers, pens, pencils, paper clips, and other random things a Kaiba would have in his desk drawer. Joey tilted his head as he saw a cell phone fly on the floor. He picked it up and tossed it to his friend.  
  
"Here, Yogi." He stated proudly in Mokuba's face, proud that he found what Mokuba was looking for. Mokuba just rolled his eyes and took a bite out of the candy bar he found in the drawer. Yugi dialed the number to his Grandpa's Turtle Game Shop.  
  
"Grandpa? Oh, yeah, this is me. Uh, Joey and I are with Mokuba Kaiba and I just wanted to let you know that- WHAT? Tea stopped by?" Yugi paused with his eyes growing large in excitement. Joey tried to steal Mokuba's candy bar, but Mokuba just shoved him away and took another chunk out of the candy bar.  
  
"Oh, so Tea's sleeping over too? That's too bad about her house... Oh, no, I'm sure Joey won't mind." Yugi yelled in the phone over the sound of Joey and Mokuba fighting. He hung up after saying good bye to his grandpa and then went to settle Mokuba and Joey.  
  
~*~KaibaCorp Florida, St.Petersburg, FL~*~  
  
Serenity silently followed Kaiba around the building, not having any idea what to do since he never told her where to go. Kaiba stepped into his office and then plopped into a chair by the shiny glass tabletop desk. Serenity just sat in a black leather chair with the bag on her lap.  
  
Kaiba's cell phone rang, he immediately picked it up.  
  
"Kaiba."  
  
"Seto, it's Mokuba."  
  
"Mmm hmm."  
  
"It's the helicopter, it's going to take double the time to get there now. Joey here thought it would be a good idea to accidentally hit the 'reverse' button on the control panel. Luckily, he didn't do anything else. Boy, is he mad that she's staying with you, Seto."  
  
Restricting himself from calling Joey a rude name in front of Serenity, Kaiba just mumbled an, "Mmmm hmm. I guess I will let her know. Goodbye, Mokuba." before hanging up.  
  
Kaiba sighed, put away his cell phone, closed the laptop, and then stared at Serenity. Serenity raised an eyebrow, wondering what he wanted. He reached into his deck drawer and pulled out a credit card. He then threw the card at Serenity and mumbled, "Go. Buy whatever you need for the night."  
  
"But I thought I was going home, Kaiba!" Serenity whined, Kaiba felt a large pulse go through his vein.  
  
"Just buy what you need immediately. There is nothing I can do about it." Kaiba yelled, wishing he had his own private jet plane like the Big 5 wanted him to have.  
  
Serenity was chilled, so she just shoved the credit card into her pocket, sat the plastic bag with the toiletries on the other leather chair and began to leave until she noticed bits of mud fell off her shoes. She knelt down, picking up the brown bits.  
  
"What are you doing?" Kaiba questioned in a cold voice, towering over her since she was on her knees.  
  
"C-Cleaning the m-mud that came off m-my s-s-shoes." Serenity replied, scared at the threatening look in his piercing blue eyes. But suddenly, the ice in his eyes melted and he gave her his hand.  
  
"That's what maids are for." He stated, helping her up, "The limo's waiting."  
  
"Are you going to come?" Serenity asked.  
  
"No, I have to fix the duel disk." Kaiba stated, remembering why they were no longer in Japan.  
  
"Heh heh, we would know." Serenity mumbled before going to the car.  
  
~*~The Mall, FL~*~  
  
Serenity definitely loved the mall. Somehow, she got the limo driver to accompany her as shopped. She got a free sample of pink perfume that smelled like strawberries, vanilla, and roses. She bought a pink tank top and khaki capris from The Gap. It was late spring and so it was very warm in Florida. She questioned whether to buy new shoes, but she gave in when she saw the cutest pink sandals that matched her outfit. She also bought a large pink and magenta shoulder bag to put everything in when she went back to Japan and pink rimmed and pink shaded sunglasses that went with everything else she bought. Besides, they were on sale. How could she resist?  
  
~*~KaibaCorp Florida, St.Petersburg, FL~*~  
  
When she got back, she changed into her new outfit and put her muddy one into the bag. She took the elevator to Kaiba's office and then peeked through the window. She saw Kaiba and a woman dressed in a black skirt and a black top with a white shirt underneath. She assumed it was one of his secretaries. She knocked, hoping not to interrupt anything important.  
  
"Come in." Kaiba yelled, then turned to the secretary, "Continue."  
  
"So you see, Mr. Kaiba, it is very fortunate you ended up here anyway, since Microsoft Company has invited you to their banquet for your sponsorship." The secretary explained, adjusting her thin framed glasses. She turned and saw the young lady dressed entirely in pink, assumed it was Kaiba's girlfriend, smiled sweetly and said, "Well, I see you have a visitor. I will contact you later, Mr. Kaiba." She said before leaving. Kaiba rolled his eyes in disgust at the pink woman.  
  
"I'm back. Do you need me to get anything for you? Because I was thinking of getting something to eat and I see your not finished with your duel disk so-"  
  
"Actually, that is a good idea. I am quite hungry. We also need to discuss something that my secretary just informed me of." Kaiba interrupted, hating the idea of what he is going to tell her.  
  
PurpleSugar: Sorry I haven't updated in just about forever. -_-;; I have this thing that since I used the computer a lot, and I mean a REAL lot, the screen flashing pretty much killed my eyes and myself. As in, sometimes I give really odd answers to questions, have trouble paying attention, and other stuff. It flat-out changed me. And I am terribly nearsighted. (I cannot see anything far away, but really tiny things in front of me I can see very well.) Also, my eyes dilate like a fish's. So now I'm limited to one hour a day. _ So that's my excuse. Sorry, I had to re-edit it many times because the plot was dull. 


	6. The Banquet

Kaiba slammed down his dueling system, causing a nut and a few bolts a long with scraps of metal to fly out of it, and pulled his keys from a safe in his office. Serenity noticed that it had a key ring that was obviously leather with the KC symbol in white leather, and attached to the keying was a metal key with "Porsche" scripted on it a long with other keys. Serenity grabbed her bag and followed Kaiba out the door, ignoring the strange glares she received from the employees of Kaiba Corp.  
  
When Kaiba and Serenity reached the garage, Kaiba typed in a secret code so quick and swiftly that no one had the chance to catch what it was. Immediately, the door lifted as swiftly as he typed in the code, revealing a beautiful, 2004 Porsche Carrera GT.  
  
((PurpleSugar: ~drools~ This is my DREAM car! I went to a car show some days ago and I snagged a poster of it! /\_/\ Too bad it costs just about what my dad would make in a year. -_-;; And Simon Cowell or however the hell you spell it gave one to his girlfriend. Y'know, the evil guy from American Idol? So sorry for the long time to update. Firstly, my mom gets cancer but she's okay now, and she's not going to die! ^-^ Second, my dad doesn't let me use the computer. And that has been two years so I haven't been able to type for awhile! ^_^;; By the way, this is a long-ish chapter. As in, two of my normal chapter in one! How cool is that? I forgot to post this at the beginning/end, so I rambled here. ^_^ Also, I started a new fic that involves the Salem Witch Trials. So, expect the first chapter for that to be up soon! I'm pretty sure it's a good idea. Enjoy the fic!))  
  
"Wow..." Was all Serenity could spit out as she stared at Kaiba's car. It was the kind that you would expect to see in a time traveling movie. It was bullet-like, very smooth and sharp at the same time. Also, very expensive looking. But price, of course, is not an issue with Seto Kaiba. It was silver, like pretty much everything Kaiba owned. Kaiba just smirked at the admiration of one of his many, and I mean MANY, rare and expensive cars. Most of his cars were Japanese of course. American cars are pieces of crap. (Mostly. Yet we Americans and our ignorant minds choose to be patriotic and buy our own crap.) Kaiba went to the door, opened it for Serenity, and glared apathetically.  
  
"Get in the car." He ordered, Serenity wondering why for his sudden rudeness. Well, it was polite for him to open the door for her, but jeez. As he sat down, the roof went up, knowing the weather in Florida.  
  
They drove for a few minutes before the expected and classic Florida rain came. Serenity leaned against the cold window, occasionally watching the veins of water streak down the window. She sighed, wanting to make conversation. Not knowing whether to make small talk and distract him from driving and having the risk of being yelled at and who knows what, or just remaining silent and worrying where the hell he was taking her.  
  
"It's funny, y'know, how this all started." Serenity stated, wondering what Kaiba would say. She got nothing as she watched him drive. "Anyways, how Duke did that, ugh, never mind. Well, um, how I kind of broke your window." She replied to herself as she watched Kaiba cringe in anger, his cold eyes lurking towards her.  
  
"I almost forgot." He stated coldly, then turned back to the road. Serenity just chuckled nervously, hating herself for reminding him.  
  
They finally pulled into the driveway of a nicely sized house overlooking the ocean. There was no grass, just sand. And with the rain stopping and the sun setting, it was beautiful. The house was all white with a light tan painted deck in the back. Serenity's eyes twinkled as she spun, looking at all angles of the property. Kaiba just rolled his eyes as he entered the house with the other silver key that was attached to his keying. Serenity quickly snapped out of paradise and followed Kaiba into the house.  
  
Kaiba took Serenity's bag and showed her to a white door. She assumed it was where she was staying.  
  
"I will see you in 15 minutes at the front door for dinner." Kaiba stated before slamming the door to the left. Serenity shrugged her shoulders and decided to check out her room for the night.  
  
Her jaw dropped at the seemingly "Strawberries and Cream" themed room. It had cream colored carpet with matching walls, a wood desk that was painted white with a red and white laptop and a creamy pink phone also on it, a white wood chest, a white doored closet, and a white canopy bed with a lacey comforter that was pinkish white with matching pillows.  
  
"I wonder why Kaiba would need a girls' room..." Serenity thought to herself before looking around the marble bathroom that was attached to the room. She decided to take a quick shower and get the rest of the mud off of her.  
  
When she was done, she wrapped a fluffy white towel around her and went to go get dressed in the room. When she entered the room, she was greeted by a sparkly black dress. It was truly gorgeous and looked expensive. It had no sleeves and it simply wrapped around her neck with a thin, black, cord and it went down to a little above her knees. Attached to it was a note that read, "Serenity, we are going out tonight. Wear this. -Seto Kaiba" in very fine, business-like handwriting. Indeed, it was a note from Seto Kaiba, but why would he need, nor want, Serenity WHEELER to accompany him?  
  
After dressing in the outfit given to her, Serenity knocked on the door to the left of her own, hoping not to upset Kaiba for not being in the front yard. She held on to the little black purse given to her with the dress that she stuffed a lip gloss a long with some gum in.  
  
"May I come in?" Serenity asked. Kaiba merely gave a "Mmm hmm."  
  
When she stepped in, Kaiba was setting his laptop on his bed that had a silk, dark navy blue comforter, pillows, and sheets. Kaiba looked as elegant as the room did dressed in all black except a grey trench coat without sleeves as he always did.  
  
"Where are we going, Kaiba?" Serenity asked, trying to avoid staring at her brother's gorgeous arch rival. Now that would be horrible if he got the idea that she liked him, right?  
  
"To the banquet my secretary was talking about when you came back. I assumed you wanted to go rather then be alone here." He replied, looking at his watch.  
  
"I might as well. Sounds like fun, Kaiba." Serenity replied, smiling. She followed him out the door and back into the car. They drove off to the hotel where the banquet was located.  
  
~Turtle Game Shop, Domino City, Japan~  
  
By the time Joey and Yugi arrived, Tea was already at his Grandpa's game shop, waiting for them.  
  
"Thanks for letting me stay the night with you guys. I would've normally asked to stay with Serenity but when I called your house, Joey, no one answered. And then I called here and Mr. Muto then invited me to stay here." Tea explained, not realizing the mess she got herself into. This wasn't going to be a Yugi and Tea date, Joey was here. Meaning, dueling, which she had seen almost everyday and she hoped to get away from it, and who knows what kind of "guy stuff" Joey may have up his sleeve for Yugi. Tea knew Joey was the one who made Yugi 1/4 of perverted as he was. It wasn't going to be the classic "slumber party" she thought. It was going to be a bore fest. "By the way, Joey, why wasn't Serenity at home?"  
  
"She's wit moneybags..." Joey spat disgustedly. Yugi sighed.  
  
"W-W-WHAT! You mean...Serenity...and...Kaiba?" Tea gasped, thinking of the odd couple. Serenity with her dearest brother's rival? No way. Completely impossible. Serenity would never do such a thing. Or would she?  
  
"No! He kidnapped her!" Joey yelled, his anger returning.  
  
"Are you serious, Joey? Why aren't you doing anything about it!?" Tea asked furiously, wondering why Joey isn't more pissed then he already is.  
  
"No, Tea, he didn't kidnap her. Somehow, Serenity agreed to try out the new Duel Disk that Kaiba invented that took you to a place similar to the Field Magic Card you inserted to make the duel more real. Then, they got stuck in the Shadow Realm when Serenity used Yami. The field magic card, of course. Not my Yami." Yugi explained as Tea gasped.  
  
"No she didn't! Not my sista! Kaiba kidnapped her and forced her to try out da duel disk thingy. Then they got stuck in the Shadow Realm place and they got out and ended up in St. Petasburg Florida." Joey continued, the look of shock remaining on Tea's face.  
  
"So, why aren't they back yet?" Tea asked, lifting an eyebrow, not sure if Joey was lying when he said Kaiba kidnapped her.  
  
"When Joey and Mokuba were fighting over a candy bar," Yugi explained, "Joey hit the 'reverse' button on the helicopter control panel. And by the time Mokuba and I realized it, it had already caused a nine hour delay. I doubt they'll make it to school tomorrow."  
  
"Oh." Tea replied, sighing at Joey's immaturity.  
  
"Hey Yug', wanna duel?" Joey asked, pulling his deck from his pocket.  
  
"Sure. Let's go into the kitchen." Yugi replied, grabbing his own deck from a shelf. Tea simply sighed, knowing this was going to happen.  
  
~Orlando, Florida~  
  
"Wow, it's so beautiful..." Serenity mused, staring at the grey walled hotel. Kaiba rolled his eyes and went to the door, Serenity following.  
  
"Name?" The security guard asked, staring at his list of guests.  
  
"Kaiba, Seto." Kaiba replied sternly, causing the security guard to lower his glasses to meet the important person in front of him.  
  
"Yes, sir. And is this your guest?"  
  
Kaiba nodded, grabbing Serenity's wrist and dragging her in.  
  
~*~  
  
"May I have your attention, please?" The host, Mr. Arace, head of the Sponsorship Committee, squeaked into the microphone, tapping it lightly. Everyone but Kaiba looked up and gave the nerdish, mouse-voiced man the attention he deserved for getting up and speaking to the CEOs of the many companies who could most likely buy the man if they chose to.  
  
Serenity stared at Kaiba, typing at his laptop. Mr. Arace began to speak, but Serenity also ignored him and leaned towards Kaiba.  
  
"Um, aren't you supposed to listen to him?"  
  
No response. Just furious typing.  
  
"Y'know, he might be saying something important..."  
  
A snarl, and more typing.  
  
"Well, um, I'll just listen for you. Eh heh heh heh. Right." Serenity smiled, understanding that Kaiba was eventually going to kill her if she did not shut up. That's why it sucked being with Kaiba. Such a short fuse. Not to mention he wasn't great at forgiving or apologizing. Well, at least not in a sarcastic manner.  
  
"...Anyways, I would like to thank you all for coming. In thanks for your sponsorship, please enjoy the dinner." He finished, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief that was in his pocket and then running off the stage. There was a lot of clapping, and then many waiters and waitresses bringing plates with very expensive food on them to the guests.  
  
The waitress, who had a name tag that read Erica, stopped and stared at Kaiba, his laptop being where his plate should be.  
  
"Um, excuse me. Mr. Kaiba? Would you like me to bring your plate when you are done working or would you like it now?" Erica asked, gripping the plate tightly.  
  
Kaiba just closed his laptop, sat in on the floor next to his chair, and then whispered to himself, "I hate social gatherings. I hate social gatherings. I hate social gatherings." It was obvious he hated people and hated talking to them. But did that mean he hated himself as well? The waitress walked back to the cart, smiling nervously.  
  
"I'm sorry for your sad case of misanthropy, Kaiba, but the least you could do was say thank you!" Serenity said, poking her prime rib with the fork.  
  
"You're not my mother, Wheeler." Kaiba stated, glaring evilly at Serenity.  
  
"Oh, don't start on that one again, Kaiba! You know I feel bad enough!"  
  
Their tablemates, Mr. and Mrs. Kavanotch stared blankly at the fighting high school couple, wondering what kind of relationship they had. Especially one that involved calling each other by their last names.  
  
~Yugi's Kitchen, Domino City, Japan~  
  
"And, voila! Sorry, Joey, but my Dark Magician destroying your Swordsman of Landstar takes away all of your life points." Yugi stated, putting the cards back away in their case and staring at Tea who apparently fell asleep when Joey played Graceful Dice with Baby Dragon.  
  
"Aw, man. Good thing this isn't some tournament. I would've concentrated betta y'know if this was a real tourney." Joey replied, putting his cards into a group, then also stared at the lightly snoring Tea. "Uhhhh, Tea? Ya there? Tea!" He whispered, tapping her on the head.  
  
"Tea! Tea? Tea, are you awake? TEA!" Yugi shouted. Immediately, Tea's head bolted up and she rubbed her eyes.  
  
"Oh, sorry guys. I guess I must have dozed off... Who won?" Tea asked, already knowing Yugi won.  
  
"Oh, it doesn't matter. But what do you want to do?" Yugi asked, yawning. It was already 8:40, which was twenty minutes before Yugi's bedtime.  
  
"Is it all right if I take a shower?" Tea asked, grabbing her pink duffel bag with ballet shoes on it.  
  
"Why not. Me and Joey will go get ready to sleep in the family room." Yugi replied, grabbing some blankets from a nearby closet.  
  
"Hey, Yug! I thought were were gonna look at da magazines I brought!" Joey whined, holding up various magazines with ladies in bikinis on the covers, not realizing Tea was still behind him. Tea raised an eyebrow. Yugi rubbed the back of his head, embarrassedly.  
  
"As soon as Tea leaves..." He said in a hushed voice, Tea, shaking her head and then heading toward the bathroom.  
  
"Whoops...Eh heh heh heh." Joey chucked before heading to the family room and sharing his thoughts with Yugi on Veronica, Ivanna, and the Playboy Bunny of the Year. 


End file.
